VéGé, agreement in Southern Italy with Apulia Distribuzione

VéGé, agreement in Southern Italy with Apulia Distribuzione

VéGé completes its expansion in Southern Italy with the entry of Apulia Distribuzione among its members, thus accelerating towards its 2024 objectives, aiming for an estimated turnover of more than 15.5 billion euros. The group, led by CEO Giorgio Santambrogio and chaired by Giovanni Arena, is significantly strengthened in Puglia and completes territorial coverage also in Sicily, Campania, Calabria and Basilicata through the 378 sales points of Apulia in the five regions of Southern Italy , as reported by Italia Oggi. This brings to five the number of companies participating in VéGé that record revenues exceeding one billion euros (such as Tosano, Multicedi, Bennet and Arena) or in any case close to this figure (such as Apulia, which recorded a turnover of 930 million euros by the end of 2023, with estimates of further growth in 2024).

According to what was reported by Italia Oggi, Apulia is evaluating whether to participate in VéGé with a new brand or through one of its proprietary brands, such as Rossotono. At the same time, he has to manage the exit from the Carrefour Italia world, of which he was master franchisee until just ten days ago, thus putting an end to a commercial partnership that had lasted for four years. Apulia will continue to operate under the Carrefour banner on its stores during the new year, as agreed by the two companies on 23 December, in a gradual separation process. CWith the inclusion of Apulia, VéGé now officially has 31 principal companies, 3,430 sales points across the country and a total sales area of ​​nearly 2.2 million square meters. The next possible step could be a consolidation in Central Italy, particularly in Tuscany.

Giovanni Arena declares: “Lhe collaboration with Apulia represents a fundamental step in our path of growth and innovation. Together, we aim to reach and exceed the ambitious goals we have set for ourselves, including the goal of 20 billion euros in turnover by 2030.” Giorgio Santambrogio adds: “The modern distribution market could see market concentration operations this year. We will see in the first or second half of the year, it will depend on when and how much inflation drops. I am thinking of agreements between different entities but also of intragroup agreements. Most likely these will be small and medium-sized operations, but I don't rule out bigger ones in the second part of the year.” Santambrogio underlines the fascinating vision of Apulia, which is based on attractive, technological, fresh-oriented outlets and with a strong dedication to customer service. For VéGé, this expansion represents a relaunch after closing 2023 with a total turnover of 13.8 billion euros, up by 9.4%.

The main directions of development remain digitalisation and private label in a market where inflation is moderating and sales volumes are recovering slightly. Promotions remain crucial, marking a recovery and anticipating 2024 with the price increase already announced by the branded industry. The topic of private label (MDD) is at the center of attention, with the dedicated main event, Marca by BolognaFiere, scheduled for 16 and 17 January, which involves over a thousand exhibitors in seven pavilions and a net surface area of ​​26,000 square metres, up by 22% compared to 2023.

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